REVIEW: Tim Kasher – “The Game Of Monogamy”

Tim Kasher / The Game Of Monogamy / Saddle Creek

“A grown man’s gotta be a grown man”, sings Cursive frontman Tim Kasher on his first solo effort, The Game of Monogamy. Unfortunately, as this continually poignant diary portrays, it’s not always that easy. Across the album, which acts as both a convincing personal journal and an intriguing concept, Kasher unwraps the bright tinsel-strewn gift of monogamous relationships from the perspective of someone seriously doubting their place in life. More than a mid-life crisis or a case of the seven-year itch, The Game of Monogamy details a real existential meltdown.

When reveling in memories of his single life on “I’m Afraid I’m Gonna Die Here” or thinking lustful thoughts as on “Bad, Bad Dreams”, the songwriter does so amidst trumpets and swinging drums. He even turns the ennui of being weighed down by the doldrums of suburban life into a sing-along pop-rock number (“Cold Love”). Of course, as any fan of Cursive or The Good Life can already tell you, sarcastic yet cynical lyrics are what Tim Kasher does best. Some may find the album’s protagonist more boorish than poetic, but it’s hard not to be affected by the disarming ways he presents these feelings (“When I was young I believed in love / But hey, I also believed in God”); emotions that are obviously deeply felt and are sure to elicit a strong reaction.